Mountain bikehandlebars.Take control.

Handlebar width is ultimately a matter of personal preference. The right width is the one that gives you the most natural riding position and the greatest confidence and control on your bike.

GCS handlebars are supplied at 800 mm wide, giving you the freedom to set them up at their full width or trim them to suit your preference. Markings at both ends allow up to 80 mm to be removed in total, providing a finished width between 720 mm and 800 mm. Always remove an equal amount from each end to keep the bar centred.

Your preferred width may also be influenced by your height, shoulder width, arm length, bike geometry and the terrain you ride. Wider bars generally provide more leverage and can feel stable and controlled on steep, fast or rough trails. Narrower bars can feel more agile, create a more comfortable position for some riders and provide additional clearance between trees on tighter trails.

These are useful guidelines rather than fixed rules. Two riders of the same size may prefer very different widths because of their riding style, bike setup or simply what feels natural.

Trimming the bar is permanent, so reduce the width gradually, remove equal amounts from both sides and never cut beyond the marked limits. If you are unsure, ask a qualified bicycle mechanic for assistance.

GCS handlebars are available in 31.8 mm and 35 mm clamp diameters to provide compatibility with the two stem standards most commonly used on modern mountain bikes. This allows riders to choose a handlebar that fits their existing stem or build a complete cockpit around their preferred standard. The diameter refers only to the central stem-clamping area; the grip and control areas remain the standard size.

The two diameters also allow different priorities to be balanced:

31.8 mm offers an excellent balance of strength, low weight and controlled compliance. It can provide a slightly more forgiving feel, making it a strong choice for riders who value comfort, feedback and reduced fatigue.

35 mm uses a larger clamping section, which can increase stiffness and strength without relying solely on thicker tube walls. This can provide a more solid and direct feel under hard braking, heavy impacts and aggressive steering inputs.

A 35 mm bar is not automatically better, or necessarily heavier than a 31.8 mm bar. The final strength, weight and ride feel also depend on the tube profile. Offering both sizes allows riders to select the best combination of stem compatibility, strength, stiffness, weight and ride feel for their bike and riding style.

GCS handlebars use 7° backsweep and 5° upsweep across every rise and clamp-diameter option. These angles were selected to balance natural hand position, confident control and predictable steering.

The 7° backsweep brings the grips slightly toward the rider, helping the hands and wrists sit in a more natural alignment. It provides enough sweep to reduce unwanted wrist rotation and improve comfort on longer rides, while retaining the direct steering response needed for technical mountain biking. Greater backsweep can feel comfortable for some riders, but may shorten the effective reach and make the front end feel less immediate.

The 5° upsweep raises the outer ends of the bar slightly. This supports a strong riding position with the elbows naturally bent and ready to absorb impacts, while helping the rider apply balanced pressure through the grips. It also complements the backsweep so that the bar feels natural when correctly rotated in the stem.

Together, 7° backsweep and 5° upsweep provide a versatile middle ground: comfortable without feeling excessively swept, and supportive without compromising precise front-wheel control. Using the same sweep angles throughout the GCS range also means riders can change bar rise or clamp diameter without changing the fundamental hand position and familiar handling characteristics.

Although no sweep combination is universally “best” for every rider, these angles are particularly well suited to riders seeking a balanced setup for climbing, descending and technical trail riding.

GCS handlebars are manufactured from high-strength 7000-series aluminium, selected for its excellent strength-to-weight ratio. This allows the bar’s tube profiles and wall thicknesses to be optimised to provide the strength required for aggressive mountain biking without adding unnecessary weight.

Aluminium also offers predictable performance under load, good impact resistance and excellent recyclability. At the end of its usable life, the material can be recovered and recycled rather than sent to landfill. “Recyclable” describes the material’s end-of-life potential; it does not necessarily mean that the handlebars are manufactured entirely from recycled aluminium.

The GCS handlebars have successfully passed the EFBE TRI-TEST® GR, an independent laboratory test programme developed specifically for demanding bicycle components. GR stands for Gravity, identifying the test category intended for the high loads associated with gravity-focused riding, including enduro, freeride and downhill use.

“TRI” refers to the three principal types of testing involved:

Fatigue testing: The handlebar is subjected to repeated, controlled loading to reproduce the cumulative stresses generated by braking, steering, impacts and rider input. This assesses whether the component can withstand intensive use over an extended period without developing a fatigue failure.

Maximum-load testing: The handlebar is exposed to defined high static loads. The test examines its ability to withstand significant peak forces without unacceptable damage or permanent deformation.

Overload testing: Loads beyond those expected during normal riding are applied to assess the bar’s reserve strength and its behaviour in extreme conditions. An important objective is to ensure that a component does not fail suddenly or catastrophically under foreseeable overload.

EFBE says its TRI-TEST programmes use discipline-specific load cases and go beyond the scope of conventional bicycle testing in key areas. The tests are conducted in a defined sequence, with fatigue and static stages performed on the same test sample—providing a more realistic assessment of accumulated loading than testing every stage on a fresh component. EFBE explains the TRI-TEST methodology here.

Passing the Gravity-category test demonstrates that the tested GCS handlebar design met EFBE’s specified requirements for demanding gravity mountain-bike applications. It provides objective, laboratory-based evidence that the balance of material, tube shape and wall thickness has been engineered for serious off-road use—not simply assumed from computer modelling or material specifications.

No handlebar is indestructible, and passing a type test does not remove the need for correct installation, specified tightening torques and regular inspection. However, it provides meaningful independent validation of the strength and durability behind the GCS’s lightweight aluminium construction.